


The Fireman's Flowers

by thatwriterlady



Series: ABO Bingo 2018 [12]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel (Supernatural), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Attraction, Caring Castiel, Fire Accident, Firefighter Dean Winchester, Florist Castiel, Fluff, Gardening, Injured Dean, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mixed Messages, More Fluff, Omega Dean, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 10:05:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15192446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: Garth gets the idea of putting a garden out in front of the fire station, and he enlists the help of his fellow firefighters.  There's a lot of work that goes into starting a garden, but Dean decides he wants it to be more than just a garden people can look at; he wants something that can give back to the community.  He's the one enlisted with finding a greenhouse or store with flowers within their budget.  Enter Castiel, the owner of a greenhouse with beautiful flowers.  He's willing to explain to Dean what plants will work for what he wants, and how to keep the beautiful garden going.After a misunderstanding, Dean almost walks out and never returns, but it's cleared up quickly enough.  Sadly, neither are brave enough to tell the other exactly how they feel, not until after Dean almost dies in a house fire.  Feelings, flowers, and firefighters make up this fluffy story.





	The Fireman's Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Bear with me, I wrote this over a month ago and I've had to deal with migraines, fibro issues, and multiple med changes that have left me feeling kind of out of it. The summary *might* be slightly off, but not too much so. I hope you like the story despire my faux pas. My brain has been a bit fried as of late with all of the med changes and lack of sleep.

 

 

 

 

**_Destiel_** ~

 

Garth came out into the front yard, a hoe in one hand, a shovel in the other.  Benny, Dean, and Victor were already standing there waiting.

 

“Where exactly do you see this garden happening?”  Dean asked as he looked down at the rocks and dirt along the edge of the grass.  He really hoped Garth wasn’t going to say where the rocks were.  There was at least a ton of them that would need to be moved.

 

“Right where these here rocks are.”  Garth replied excitedly.  “We can have a really nice garden, and we’ll be out here tending to it where the community can see us!”

 

Victor groaned while Benny pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“We can’t move these by hand.  We need to rent a backhoe.  You have to see if the Captain will approve that.”  Benny said.

 

“You planning to move them rocks, consider it approved.  The city wants us cleaning up the front yard, making it more “presentable”.  Captain Mills said as she joined them.  “Victor, you go rent it.  Benny, tell Joe and Frank to get out here and start moving everything away from the pathway.  Dean, you go find us some nice flowers to plant here.  Go place an order, find out what would make for nice perennials, and come back with a list.”

 

“Why do I have to go get the flowers?”  Dean complained as he jumped into the department pickup truck.  Where was he supposed to go?  Lowes?  Home Depot?  What about a nursery?

 

Yes, a nursery was the best option.  The people working there would know what they were talking about when it came to plants and flowers, better than just some kid hired for the summer at a home improvement store.  He pulled his phone out and looked up the nursery in the area with the best ratings.  Shurley Nursey, on Ward and King.  That was right on the outskirts of the district, and he knew exactly where it was because he passed it whenever he went to visit his folks.  Pulling out of the garage, he headed for King Street.  Hopefully the people that ran the nursery would be able to help him figure out what they should plant.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

Dean parked in the lot and made his way towards the giant greenhouse, figuring that was the best place to find an actual person to speak with.  He had his phone in hand, texting back and forth with Captain Mills and Garth to see if they had come up with a color scheme yet, or even decided on a flower that they liked.  The current answer was still no, but Benny was digging the rocks up and dumping them in the pit in back where there were even more rocks.  That was all fine until Garth decided the backyard needed flowers too.

 

So he was basically left on his own to determine what flowers might look nice in a garden type setting.  Since they were leaving it up to him, he wanted flowers that could give back to the community, maybe in the form of ones that could be cut and given to mothers and grandmothers, or laid on graves.  Flowers like the ones he always bought for his mother’s grave every month.  Daisies, tulips, carnations, things like that might be nice.  He knew Garth would agree.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

Dean turned around to see a man standing there.  His apron told Dean he worked here, and his scent told him the man was an Alpha. 

 

“Yeah, um, I’m with the fire department,”  Dean started.  The man quirked an eyebrow and looked at the uniform Dean was currently wearing which made it obvious where he worked.  “Right, uh, what we’re doing is creating a garden in front.  It’s been left up to me to choose what flowers to put in.  I was thinking, a working garden might be nice.  I think we’ll be adding flowers in the back later on, but for now, we’re working on the front.  Maybe daisies?  Carnations?  Flowers that can be cut and shared, I think that might be nice.”

 

The smile that rose up on the man’s face was breathtaking, and Dean couldn’t look anywhere else.

 

“Of course!  You’ve come to the right place…”

 

“Dean.  Dean Winchester.”

 

“Dean,”  The way the man said his name was almost with a sort of reverence.  It made his name sound really good.  “My name is Castiel, or Cas, if you will.  I own this nursery and I can help you pick out any flowers you may be wanting to add.  Do you know how big the flower bed is going to be?”

 

Dean shot off a quick text and waited.  A minute later he got a text back.

 

“It looks like it’s going to run the entire length of our walkway, clear from the curb all the way up, past the front doors, and around to the back.  So maybe 50 yards?”

 

“Oh, that’s going to be quite the garden.  Do you want all of it to feature the same flowers?”  Cas asked.  He started walking and Dean fell in step beside him.

 

“I don’t know.  I want it to look nice, but maybe all of the same flowers for the entire pathway will be repetitive.  Or do you think that would actually look nice?”

 

“Well, it depends on the flowers you choose.  If you go with say, daffodils, your garden will only be useful in the early spring, and that will be a sea of yellow and white.  If you choose tulips, again, they only bloom in the spring, but they come in a wide variety of colors.  Now, you can stagger your garden, add in some spring bulbs followed by some summer ones, then some fall ones.  You’ll have an ever blooming garden.”  Cas explained.

 

“Let’s do that one.”  Dean said.

 

For the next hour they discussed flowers, every possible variety.  Dean wrote down the names, height, and which season it would bloom down on a notepad.  Later Garth and Jody (aka Captain Mills) could google any flowers they didn’t know to see if they liked his choices.  He promised Cas he’d be back soon, and Cas promised to make sure the bulbs he was truly interested in would be in stock when he returned.

 

When he got back to the station, he was surprised to see the new garden was already halfway dug up.  The rocks were being donated instead of dumped in the back.  Dean sought out Jody and Garth to show them his incredibly long list of flowers.

 

“This is some list, what did you do, add every flower there?”  Jody asked as she flipped through three pages of them.

 

“No, not even close, but there are so many to choose from, and a whole bunch I liked but I wasn’t sure if anyone else was going to like them.”  Dean replied.

 

“Where are the roses?”  Garth leaned over Jody’s arm to read too, but Dean had added roses separately.

 

“They’re on another page.  Roses are nice and all but we have to cover them in the winter.  Plus they’ll require a lot more maintenance with pruning, feeding, stuff like that.  I figured we could do a small section of the garden with roses, but plant other flowers that we can cut and give to people in the community in other parts.”

 

“I like that idea,”  Jody nodded.  “Is that where the gladiolas, daisies, and hollyhocks come in?  I see some columbine up near the doorway.  It’s so pretty.  Or even clematis.”

 

“We can try that separate from this garden.  This I really want to see flowers we can cut, like for kids that want to give their moms flowers, or like me, who brings my mom flowers at the cemetery.  In a way, we’d be giving back to the community even more than we already do.”

 

“I like that idea.”  Garth was on board.  Jody rocked her head back and forth for a moment before finally nodding.

 

“Fine.  Show me what you can do in this area here for a $100.”  She pointed to a corner where the sidewalk curved before heading down to the public sidewalk.

 

“Ok, I’ll go back and see what I can get to put in there.”  Dean said.  Right then, they heard a voice over the intercom and the siren going off.  Flowers were going to have to wait.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

“So I decided to take a drive past your fire station yesterday.  I was curious as to what it would actually look like, as I am a very visual person, and I’m rather impressed with how quickly the soil was turned over.  You’re going to need to fill that in with dirt.  I sell that too, so you know.  I noticed one particular area was sectioned off.  Is there a reason for that?”  Cas was talking the moment he saw Dean walk through the door.  It brought a smile to the firefighter’s face.

 

“That’s the section I’ve been approved to start putting flowers in.  If I can make it look nice, they won’t fill the rest in with flowering bushes like they’re considering.  Garth really wants roses, and a lot of them.”

 

“May I suggest bringing that part of the garden out a bit more and rounding it?  Then I can tell you exactly what to put in there.”

 

“I can do that myself.  My budget is tight so I’m hoping we can make it look nice for under $100.”  Dean was most worried about his budget.  He knew nurseries were more expensive.

 

“Well, lucky for you, I offer a 30% discount for city buildings, including fire stations.  We can definitely work within your budget.”  Cas promised.  Dean smiled wider.

 

“Awesome, so where do we start?”

 

They spent the next hour planning out the garden and selecting the flowers that would go in it.  It was already June and as Cas explained, the spring bulbs couldn’t be planted until the fall.  Dean returned to the station that afternoon with ten bags of dirt and ten flats of flowers.  Garth happily pitched in as did Charlie and Avery who were on duty that day.  Benny was still clearing the rocks out while Victor was assisting with the pickup of said rocks from people in the neighborhood who were coming to gather their fill for their own gardens and other projects.  Dean pitched in, using the diagram he’d worked out with Cas to round the edge of this part of the garden, and then add the dirt.  From there he and Garth got busy planting.  By seven they were done and had a beautiful flower garden to show for it.

 

“It needs a border.”  Garth said.

 

“Mmm.”  Dean agreed. 

 

“Does the nursery sell wood or something to use as one?”  Garth asked.

 

“Yeah, they sell pretty much everything imaginable.”  Dean replied.

 

“Why don’t we stop by tomorrow?  We’re both off.  If you’re ok with that.  I’d like to see what they have, then run some ideas past the captain.”

 

“Ok, sure.  Cas will be able to tell us the best and least affordable materials.  I saw some recycled plastic border, it’s durable and will last a long time, or we could go with something stone, but I worry about kids stealing them and throwing them through the windows, you know?”

 

“The plastic might be good if it looks nice.”  Garth said.  “Who is Cas?”

 

“He owns the nursery I have been going to.  I trust his judgement.”

 

“Ok, cool.  I’ll meet you at your place tomorrow around say, two.  Does that work for you?”  Garth asked.

 

“Works great.”  Dean agreed.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

The next day they showed up at the nursery and Cas looked surprised to not only see Dean out of uniform, but to see him with someone else.  His normally cheerful smile seemed a little guarded when he realized Dean was not alone.

 

“Hello, Dean.  Are you not working today?”

 

“No, I’m off, but Garth here wanted to come down and see what you have for border materials.  We got all of the flowers planted yesterday but it’s missing a border.”  Dean replied.  Cas turned to look at Garth.

 

“You’re a firefighter too then?”

 

“Yep, been working with Dean here the better part of the last decade.”  Garth replied, his smile friendly and open.  He offered a hand to Cas who shook it.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Garth, Dean has mentioned you.  I believe the garden was your idea?”

 

“Yep.  Captain Mills was easy to convince that we need to beautify the front of the station.  The city has been after us to do this for a while.  So, we are.”  Garth shrugged and offered up an easy smile.  Cas seemed more at ease with him now and returned his smile.

 

“I can definitely show you borders, come this way, they’re outside.”

 

As they walked, Cas fell in between the two men and Dean noticed the way his nostrils flared when he smelled his Omega scent.  At work Dean wore blockers, it was part of the job, everyone wore them, but when he was off duty, he didn’t usually bother.  This was the first time Cas was realizing his secondary gender.  His blue eyes met Dean’s green ones and he smiled.

 

“So everything worked out with the flowers?”

 

“Yep, here, I have pictures of the finished garden.”  Dean pulled his phone out and brought up the pictures he’d taken the day before. 

 

“Oh, it looks so beautiful!  You followed the diagram!” 

 

“Of course I did, I trust your judgement.”  Dean shrugged as he tucked his phone away again.  Cas beamed at him.

 

“Thank you for that.  I’m happy to see how nice it looks.”

 

He showed them the borders he offered and Dean pointed out the recycled one he thought would work nice.  Garth liked it too and snapped a few pictures to take back and show Captain Mills while Dean hung back and talked to Cas.

 

“Do you have plans yet for more flowers?”  Cas asked.

 

“No, not yet.  The captain, she likes what we have already planted but she agrees with Garth that roses would be nice.  This little area might be all I get, so I want it to look really nice.  Garth is right, it needs a border, so we’re looking now so we can tell her and see what kind of budget she will allow for.”  Dean explained.

 

Cas stuck his hands in the pockets of his apron as he watched Garth take his pictures a few feet away.  “You know, I thought he was your mate when you walked in.  I thought perhaps you’d decided you wanted to add flowers at your home too.”

 

“Garth?  My mate?  Naw,”  Dean chuckled.  “He’s a good friend, that’s all.  We’ve worked at the same station for the better part of the last decade.  Plus, he’s mated to the sweetest girl you could ever meet.”

 

“Oh.”  Cas smiled softly but said nothing more.  Dean was sure the man was interested but he decided to leave the next move up to Cas.

 

“I like these here recycled ones you were talking about, Dean.  I think they’ll be sturdy, less interesting to any kids that might mess around, and easy enough to see when we’re mowing and weed whacking.  They’re not hollow, are they, Cas?”  Garth asked.

 

“No, they’re solid composition, recycled plastic.” Cas replied.

 

“Nice.  We’ll have to run it by the captain of course, but I think she’ll agree since the city wants the station beautified.”  Garth looked at Dean who nodded in agreement.

 

“You’re right.  We have a budget and as long as we stay under it, I don’t think she’ll complain.  Just remember painting is in that budget.  We can’t blow all of it on flowers.”

 

“Might I suggest lilac bushes as well as roses to fill in the rest of the area?  It will smell good in the spring for the lilacs and in the summer, the roses will make it smell good.”  Cas suggested.

 

“Yeah, uh, how big do the lilac bushes get?  Like, will they block the walkway?”  Dean asked.

 

That led to a new lesson on lilac followed by a lesson on roses.  Garth wanted tea roses, not that Dean knew what those were, but Cas explained it all in patient detail.  He went over the benefit to the bees, the lifespan of the flowers themselves, the fragrances, and more.  Dean was deeply impressed by just how much the man knew about flowers.  They moved on to several other bushes that would also work, but Dean liked the lilac.  Garth was in agreement, so they wrote down how many they would need of the lilacs and the roses, then with a parting goodbye (and no asking Dean out, much to his chagrin), they headed to the station to run the numbers by Jody.

 

Over the next few weeks the crew of Station 12 worked together to plant the lilac bushes and roses using the diagram Cas drew up for them.  Dean continued to tend to his blooming flower garden, cutting and sharing the flowers with whomever asked for some, though by mid August he was beginning to suspect he didn’t have the same green thumb Cas did.  All of his plants were dying and nothing he did was saving them.  With a heavy heart, he headed back to the nursery, hoping Cas could help him figure out what happened.

 

He walked into the greenhouse and spotted Cas almost immediately.  He was talking with a woman with long, dark brown hair.  At first Dean thought she was a customer, but then she leaned in to say something in the Alpha’s ear before smacking him on the butt.  She walked away smiling, and Cas was smiling too.  Suddenly Dean wanted to be anywhere else.  Maybe he could just get some new flowers at Lowes…

 

“Dean,”

 

He looked up at the sound of his name and saw Cas walking towards him. 

 

“Hey,”  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded.  Best to keep things friendly.  He didn’t want to flirt with an Alpha that had a girlfriend already.

 

“What brings you by?”  Cas asked.  He had that same warm, friendly smile and suddenly Dean wondered if maybe he’d just been reading too much into it. 

 

“Well, my flowers all died.”  Dean replied.  Cas’ smile fell away, replaced by a look of surprise and concern.

 

“All of them?  You were watering them when I told you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Giving them plant food?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“And you don’t notice any fungus or strange bugs eating the leaves?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Cas crossed his arms and brought one hand up to tap his index finger against his cheek as he thought.

 

“Do you have any pictures of them?”

 

Dean pulled his phone out and brought up the pictures.  Cas studied them for several minutes before handing the phone back.

 

“Dean, where are the flowers?”

 

“I cut them.  I’ve been giving them away to people in the area.”

 

“Uh huh.  And the leaves?  Where are those?”

 

Dean shrugged.  “I guess I cut those too.”

 

“The plants need their leaves for food, to photosynthesize the sun, to breathe in the carbon dioxide.  They need them in order to _live_.  The flowers are how they procreate.  If you remove all of them, they can’t breed.”

 

Dean stared down at his phone in horror.  He’d just tortured innocent plants and sentenced them to death!

 

“Oh shit!”

 

“Indeed.”  Cas agreed.  “I can give you more flowers.  Maybe heartier ones will work better.” 

 

“So, don’t cut _all_ the flowers, and leave the leaves when possible.”  Dean said.

 

“Yes.  Now the bulbs, they’ll be ok, mostly.  You might lose a few but the rest will make it.  They’ll die out early, is the problem, but come back next spring.  In the meantime I’ll give you some annuals to plant that will last the rest of the season.  You may want to rethink a cutting garden and instead use the roses for that.  The bushes you bought are large enough to withstand the trauma of having the blooms cut, but you still need to leave some of the flowers, and there’s no need with roses to remove most of the leaves, so they’ll persist and bloom every year.”

 

“Yeah, ok, I can do that.”  Dean agreed.  He followed Cas around and watched as the Alpha collected a variety of vibrantly colored blooms.  The unfortunate thing was that now he would have to tell people what happened, and break the news that there would be no more cut flowers this year.  Thinking about it, he asked for one extra plant, not to be put on the city’s bill.

 

“Is it for your house?”  Cas asked.

 

“No, it’s for my mom’s grave.  My dad buried her in a cemetery that allows for small flower beds, as long as the families maintain them.  I’ve been tending to her grave since I was a little boy.  My dad’s remarried now, but he still visits my mom’s grave a few times a year, usually on her birthday and their anniversary.  I go every Sunday.  I think I want to put a plant at her grave and start a real flower bed.  So maybe some of them Gerbera daisies.  Next year I’ll decide what to really plant that will last year after year.  She was a fan of carnations and bleeding hearts, that’s what my dad told me.  Maybe I’ll get some of those.”  Dean’s thoughts drifted to his mother and what he remembered of her.  Apple pie and long blonde hair brushing against his cheek as she’d bend over to kiss him goodnight, that’s what he remembered.  He shook that thought off before it depressed him more than he already was over seeing Cas was taken, and offered a polite but cool smile.  “Two instead of one, please.”

 

A small furrow formed between Cas’ brows as he nodded.

 

“Alright, but I’ll still offer you the same discount.  It doesn’t have to be on the city’s budget.”

 

Dean remained silent and simply helped carry all of the flowers out to the truck.  Once they were loaded, he followed Cas back inside to pay.

 

“It’s always a pleasure doing business, Dean, I look forward to seeing you again.” 

 

There was a hint of something in the Alpha’s voice, something that reflected in his blue eyes, as if he hoped Dean would come back, and maybe _then_ he’d have the guts to ask him out.  Well, Dean wasn’t playing that game, not when the Alpha already had someone.

 

“It’s doubtful I’ll be back.  If we need anything else, it’ll probably be Garth.  Thanks for your help though.”  Dean didn’t meet the man’s gaze, he couldn’t, so he just headed out to the truck and climbed in.  It was a good thing he didn’t look up or he’d have seen the crushed look on Cas face.

 

“What happened?  Whose ass do I have to kick?”

 

Meg was back with a flat of ferns that she set on one of the tables before dusting her hands off.  Cas’ shoulders sagged and he shook his head.

 

“I don’t know what happened, I thought…”

 

“You thought what, Clarence?”

 

“I _thought_ Dean liked me.”

 

“Dean, as in the dreamboat firefighter that’s been coming in here lately?”  She put her hands on her hips and frowned when he nodded.  “Why would you suddenly think he didn’t like you?”

 

“He was very distant.  I noticed him earlier when you walked out, and he was just…he was different.”  He replied as he looked towards the door again, almost like he half expected the beautiful Omega to come walking back in.

 

“Oh, that was him?  The customer that came in right after you told me to go get these?”  She motioned towards the ferns.

 

“Yes, that was Dean.”

 

“Um, he saw us whispering, and he pulled a face when I slapped your butt.”  She said sheepishly.  “I bet he thinks I’m your girlfriend.”

 

“Meg!”  He whined.  “You chased off the most perfect man I’ve ever laid eyes on!”

 

“I’m sorry!  I didn’t know that was your dream man!”  She argued.  “Want me to find him and apologize?”  She asked.

 

“No, I’ll do my own damage control.”  He replied.  “Just, no more doing that in front of customers, ok?  I don’t need anyone else reading things the wrong way.”

 

“Fine,”  She grumbled.  “I’ll just let you keep being grumpy.”  With a flip of her ponytail she exited out the back door and disappeared.  He fretted over how he was going to break the news to Dean that Meg was just a friend and not a girlfriend.  Would it be too much to just show up at the fire station?  Probably.  Showing up at the cemetery would just be creepy.  He’d have to figure it out, and soon, he really wanted a date with the handsome firefighter!

 

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Dean threw himself into planting the new flowers, and several of the guys came to help.  It gave them something other than watching TV or playing cards to do.  When he was finished, Charlie came in search for him.

 

“There’s a call for you.”

 

“For me?  Everyone that matters has my number.”  He said.

 

“It’s the flower guy.  Name’s Cas?  He says it’s important.”

 

Wondering if there was some pertinent information about the plants he’d just bought that Cas had forgotten to tell him, he headed for the common room, and the waiting receiver.  He picked it up and put it to his ear.

 

“Cas?  What did you need?”

 

“It’s not what you think.”  Cas blurted.  “Meg is my best friend, not my girlfriend.  She just made me aware that you saw her acting like a jerk and smacking my…butt.  But she was just being facetious.  We grew up together, so she’s like an obnoxious sister to me.  I’m sorry if you thought anything might be between us, I’d rather gouge my eyes out.” 

 

Dean snorted but deep down, he felt relieved.

 

“You called to tell me this?”

 

“I felt it needed saying.”

 

“Oh.  Um, well…thanks?”

 

“I also called to tell you that Dick Roman, he owns the plot of land next door, he’s ignoring the burn ban and has a huge fire going in his backyard right now, I can see the smoke and smell it.  I’ve had falling outs with him before over this, so I’m not going to confront him, but I thought I’d tell you before I call the police.  He’s using gasoline too, the smoke is thick and black.”

 

“Geez,”  Dean turned to the nearest person in the room, which was Benny.  “Hey, go tell Cap that there’s a fire out on 232, illegal burn pile.  See if she wants to wait for the call to come through from dispatch or if we should respond now.  It was started with gasoline.”

 

“What the hell?”  Benny’s scowl would be menacing if Dean wasn’t so familiar with the guy.  “Damn morons always ignoring the burn ban.”  He stomped out of the room and went in search of the captain.  Dean turned his attention to the phone again.

 

“Go ahead and call it in, they’ll notify us but I’m pretty sure we’ll already be on our way.  It’s too windy today to be burning.  Roman’s an idiot.”

 

“You’re telling me.  Will you be responding?”  Cas asked.  Dean found himself smiling.

 

“Yeah, most likely, there are five of us on duty right now and six on call.  Stations not real big.”

 

“Well, perhaps I’ll see you then.”  Cas said.  Dean could hear the smile in his voice.

 

“Yeah, you will.  I gotta run.” 

 

“Goodbye, Dean.”

 

“Bye, Cas.”

 

Dean could hear the captain cursing up a storm as she came marching into the room with Charlie, Benny, and Madison on her heels.

 

“What’s this about a burn pile set with gasoline?  Where at?”

 

“Out on 232 at the Roman place.  Same place we went to three times last year and twice the year before.  Now it’s next to the nursery where I got the plants.  He made a big fire and lit it with gasoline.  My guess is he’s thinking he’ll burn his junk real quick, hose out the fire and no one will be the wiser.  Idiot.”  Dean replied.

 

“Suit up fellas and non fellas, we’re heading out.”  Jody announced.

 

Everyone headed down to the truck while Jody placed a call to the fire marshal.  Just as they all got suited up, the siren sounded. 

 

“Move out!”  Jody yelled.  Everyone hopped on the truck while Dean got behind the wheel.  It was time to respond to a fire.

 

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By the time they arrived, Dick Roman was standing in his front yard with Sheriff Donna Hanscum having a heated discussion about _why_ the burn ban was in place.  As Dean and the others dismounted the truck and walked over, they could see thick black smoke spiraling up from the burn pit in the side yard.  Dean sighed as he followed the captain over to where Donna was standing, refusing to let an asshole like Dick Roman intimidate her.

 

“You can’t just go burning when you feel like it!  There is a burn ban in place for a reason!”  Donna snapped.

 

“I’ve never had a fire get out of control!  I can maintain a simple burn fire without the sheriff and a bunch of firemen showing up!”  Dick snapped right back.

 

“That is not the problem!”  Donna was exacerbated and while she was usually bubbly and friendly, people like Dick Roman pushed her buttons and she was a force to be reckoned with when she was angry.  No one knew that better than Captain Mills, her mate.

 

“Look, we put burn bans in place for a reason.  The ground is too dry and while you think you have control over a burn pile, one errant ember can burn down everything, from your house to the fields around it, to the nursery and house next door.  One little ember could burn down the entire county, all because you can’t adhere to the rules and wait a few more weeks til we get some rain.  Now, you know this isn’t our first rodeo, so I’m going to suggest Sheriff Hanscum here issue you a fine for not following the rules.  My guys are going to put your fire out now, and I highly suggest you not make us come out here again.”  Jody’s Alpha tone was enough to make a Beta like Dick Roman submit, though he did so with complaints being muttered under his breath.   Dean and Benny dragged the house out while Madison and Charlie got it hooked up and turned on. 

 

Putting the fire out was fairly quick and then they were winding the hose back up to head back to the station.  Roman had been slapped with a $200 fine since this wasn’t his first offense, and then they were all on their way.  As they drove past the nursery, Dean spotted Cas and waved.  The Alpha smiled and waved back.

 

“Looks like Dean has an admirer.”  Madison teased.

 

“He’s cute.”  Jody said, joining in.  Dean just rolled his eyes and ignored them.

 

“Yeah, yeah, chuck it up.” 

 

“Oh, we will, brother, for the rest of your life if he turns out to be your future mate.”  Benny added.  Charlie giggled and nodded in agreement.  Sometimes Dean thought he worked with nothing but assholes.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

The call came in after two, and Dean was jarred out of a rather pleasant dream where he was enjoying a nice dinner with Cas when the station alarm started screaming.  He was up and out of bed in seconds, racing for the pole along with Benny and Charlie.  Madison wasn’t far behind. 

 

Down at the truck Captain Mills was already suiting up. 

 

“We got a call, fire out on 232.” 

 

“Fuck, Roman _again_?”  Benny cried.

 

“Looks like.  Except this time the house is on fire.  Fire spread with the high winds tonight.  We warned him.  Get moving!”  She barked.  The moment everyone was in their gear and on the truck, Dean pulled out of the station, turning on the siren as they raced for 232 and the fire that was waiting.

 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

 

It was worse than they’d expected.  Dick Roman and his family were nowhere to be seen and the fire had already engulfed the back of the house.  While Charlie, Benny, and Captain Mills went around back, Dean and Madison headed for the house.  A second unit from Station 11 showed up with seven more people, and Dean breathed a sigh of relief.  They were going to need help if they were going to save the Roman family.

 

After checking the front door, Dean kicked it in.  He, Madison and three other guys all headed for the second floor, which as of yet was not on fire towards the front of the house, while the rest began a search of the first floor.  Room by room, through the thickening smoke, they cleared them, until they found a room at the back where black smoke was curling its way under the door.  Using extreme caution, they entered the room.  This was the pups’ room, and Dean was immediately worried since they hadn’t found Dick or his mate Lynette, nor had they found either of the couple’s pups.  They swept the room and found the pups huddled in a corner on the far side of the second bed.  Madison swept the younger girl up, passing her off to another firefighter while Dean grabbed the older girl.  He passed her off to Madison and barely got two steps before the floor underneath him buckled and he went through it.  The fire was already licking its way through the first floor on its path of destruction and he hit the floor hard before it too buckled and he was spilled into the basement below. 

 

“Dean!”  Madison passed off the second pup and raced for the stairs.  The other firefighters were right on her tail, carrying the pups outside.  Captain Mills appeared, looking down at the hole in the floor.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Dean fell!  The floor gave out upstairs!”  Madison cried.

 

“They’re finally getting the fire under control back there.  We need to get to Dean.”  Jody said.  Madison nodded and watched as the captain waved over two other people, telling them what had happened.  The house creaked as the ceiling came crashing down in the kitchen.

 

“We need to get down there and get him out before the entire second floor comes down.”  Jody pointed to the door that led to the basement and they all hurried for it.

 

The basement was cool and barely had any smoke, just a bit that had rolled in through the broken windows  It was more of  root cellar than a basement and Dean lay unmoving in the center of the room.  Jody bent down to check his vitals, breathing a sigh of relief when she found a pulse.  Good, that was very good.  Together they hoisted him up and carried him up the stairs and out the front door.  They didn’t stop moving until they were far enough away from the house that the fire couldn’t harm them, and then they laid him down in the grass.  By that point people from the neighboring farms were gathering to watch as the Roman house burned down, and one of those people was Cas.  He’d been a simple observer until he realized the person on the ground was Dean.

 

“Dean!”  He screamed as he ran over and dropped to his knees beside Madison who was trying to remove Dean’s coat while Jody removed his helmet.  The ambulance had to come from Concordia hospital which was still a good ten minutes away.  They had to check him now, before they arrived.

 

“What happened?”  Cas cried.

 

“He fell two stories, and he isn’t waking up.”  Jody replied as she checked Dean’s pulse again.  It was weak.  Another firefighter arrived with a stabilizing kit and they got Dean’s head secured.  If his neck was damaged from the fall, they didn’t want him making it worse if he started to wake up.

 

“Oh my god…”  Cas covered his mouth with one shaky hand before reached out to touch one of Dean’s with his free one.  “Is he going to be ok?”

 

“Dean’s tough.  He’s going to be fine.”  Madison said firmly.  Cas heard the crack in her voice though, and that worried him.

 

Two ambulances arrived, soon followed by a third from Station 13.  Dean was loaded into one while the Roman girls were loaded into a second one.  Dick and his mate were found finally, unconscious in the back yard, near a melted garden hose they’d apparently been trying to put the fire out with, and they were loaded into the third ambulance.  The fire was finally brought under control, but not until after it had claimed more than 2/3 of the house and the yard.  They’d managed to catch it before it spread to the crops; the livelihood of the Roman family.

 

It was a week before Dean finally woke up.  For a few days there they weren’t really sure that he would, but he eventually did, and he had a splitting headache.  He blinked groggily before looking around the room.  It didn’t take him long to realize he was in a hospital room, but he was surprised to see practically every surface covered in flowers. 

 

“Hello?”  He coughed as his tonsils stuck to his throat and the attempt he made to clear it only made him cough harder. 

 

“Dean, relax, I have a swab here, let me wet your mouth.” 

 

Dean looked up to see his brother Sam standing over the bed, a swab and a glass of water in his hands.  He opened his mouth and let his brother use the swab to wet his mouth.  Sam did it six times before Dean felt like maybe he could talk without choking.  He called in a nurse who came, did a quick check  and said she was going to call the doctor before ducking out of the room again.

 

“What…happened?”  His voice was raspy from disuse and he found himself wondering how long he’d been asleep.

 

“You went in on the fire in Dick Roman’s house and when you were rescuing the kids, you fell through the floor.  From what I heard, the fire had destroyed the first floor by that point so when you landed on the first floor, it gave out too and you were dumped in the basement.  You were unconscious when they pulled you out.  That was Wednesday.  It’s Thursday.  The 23rd.”

 

Dean’s eyes widened.  Eight days?  He’d been unconscious for eight whole days?  He tried to lift his arm and it took effort to do so.  There was an iv in his hand and he hissed as he suddenly became aware of it.

 

“Kids ok?”

 

“Yeah, they’re ok.  The Romans are ok too, idiots that they are.”  Sam pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down.  Dean motioned absently to all of the flowers.

 

“Who sent all the flowers?”

 

“Well, one’s from the guys down at the station, one’s from me, one’s from dad and Kate, and the rest are from this guy Cas.  I don’t know him, but apparently you do.”

 

Dean looked around the room at the many vases of flowers.  There were at least a dozen lining the counters and shelves.  Just as he was marveling over how many there were, someone knocked.

 

“Come in.”  Sam called out.  The door opened and in walked Cas, holding another vase of flowers.  The moment he realized Dean was awake, his face lit up.

 

“Dean!”

 

Dean smiled, he couldn’t help it.

 

“Hey, Cas.”

 

He motioned to Sam to swab his mouth out again and once it felt moist enough to speak, he tried again.

 

“I see you’ve been visiting and bringing flowers.”

 

Cas hugged the vase of sunflowers he’d brought as his cheeks flushed.  He looked shyly between Dean and Sam.

 

“I…yes, I was worried when I heard you were hurt.”

 

“I’m glad.”  Dean said.  “I like sunflowers.”

 

“I’m…going to go grab a coffee.”  Sam stood up, realizing he had just suddenly become the awkward third wheel.  He nodded at Cas before ducking out of the room.

 

“He’s not very subtle.”  Cas laughed as he found an empty spot to put the new vase.  He checked on the others, finding one of the previous bouquets had died and meticulously emptied the vase.

 

“No, he never has been.”  Dean laid his head back and closed his eyes. 

 

“When did you wake up?”  Cas asked as he took Sam’s empty seat.

 

“Like, ten minutes before you walked in.  I didn’t know I was asleep so long though.”

 

“You were in a coma though, it wasn’t just a long nap.  I met your dad the second day, and he said you’d sustained trauma to your brain and spine.”  Cas said.  Right away Dean wiggled his toes, feeling the relief wash over him as he realized he could.

 

“My spine?”

 

“Yeah, you broke your back, it’s why you’re lying flat, and why you’re strapped to a board.”  Cas explained.  Dean touched the straps around his chest and waist.

 

“I’m still catching up, I honestly hadn’t noticed.  Shit, that means I can’t go back to work for a while.”

 

“Work can wait, you need to heal before you think of falling through anymore burning floors.”  Cas was trying to make light of a gloomy situation, but Dean appreciated it.

 

“So, Alpha,”  Dean turned his head so he could look at him.  Cas quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

 

“Um, yes?”

 

“When the hell are you going to ask me out?”

 

Cas broke out in a wide grin that made his nose crinkle and showed off every tooth in his mouth.  Dean took a moment to admire the sharp looking canines on the man before meeting the blue eyes looking back at him.

 

“I suppose I should have done that the first day you came in, but I am rather shy.  I have some time though, now that gardening season will be coming to an end.  Or hell, I can just let Meg run the place now and then.  When you’re cleared to go home, I don’t even care if you’re in a back brace, I’ll come over and make you dinner.  I want you to take it easy so you heal.”

 

“Soon as I’m released.”  Dean smacked his lips together.  He was so thirsty!

 

“As soon as you can hold down a real meal, I’ll make you something amazing.  How does baked ziti sound?”

 

“It sounds awesome.  Once I’m able to stand, and I’m not in pain, I’ll make us burgers on the grill.  Winter doesn’t stop me from grilling.”

 

“That sounds wonderful, Dean.  First, concentrate on healing.”  Cas reached over to touch the hand Dean didn’t have the IV in and the Omega turned his hand over to slot their fingers together.  He winked at the Alpha before closing his eyes.

 

“I’ll get right on that.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I do hope you enjoyed the story. Comments and kudos are always appreciated. Thank you for reading.


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